Savory French Toast Bake

This savory French toast bake is made using just five simple ingredients and requires very little hands-on time. Make it the warm centerpiece of weekend brunch with an assortment of side dishes to suit every taste.

I grew up eating French toast exclusively of the savory variety. In Romania French toast, called frigănele, is normally fried and served savory, seasoned with salt and pepper and enjoyed with accompaniments like aged feta and roasted red pepper.

When served savory, French toast really turns into a meal. So much so that some Romanians (including my grandmother) call savory French toast 'bread schinitzel' or 'schnitzel de paine' in Romanian. I was absolutely tickled when I first heard that.

I absolutely love the concept of French toast because it shows how forgotten, old or dry ingredients from the back of the fridge can be elevated and honored.

And the beauty of this recipe is that its so flexible. This post has tips for all the ways you can adapt the base recipe to suit the ingredients you have on hand and the type of presentation you want to achieve.

It can be a really simple thing you throw together on a lazy Saturday morning, or you can turn it into an elegant presentation that's nice enough to be the centerpiece of brunch served to company.

Ingredients

The base ingredients for this recipe are dry bread, eggs, milk, butter for greasing the pan, and seasoning (just salt and black pepper). If you have it, some hard grated cheese like parmesan, pecorino etc. adds a nice quality to the bread.

This section will give you some options for how you can adapt the recipe to work with what you have on hand.

Dry bread

You can make French toast bake with basically any bread. A more robust bread like the sourdough shown in this post is well suited to a savory preparation and also gives a nice texture to the dish.

Conversely, a very soft bread like brioche or regular sandwich bread makes a very soft and custardy French toast. Stale dinner rolls or other soft bread is also great for a soft bake.

The only rule is that the bread be very dry. Dry bread will soak up the egg mixture better and develop a really lovely custardy interior no matter what kind of bread you use.

Eggs

The only absolute must besides dry bread is the eggs. The eggs soak into the bread and cook up so the interior is soft while the outside is crisp and browned.

You could conceivably make savory French toast by just soaking some dried bread in a mixture of egg and water and topping it with a sprinkle of salt. Not the most exciting French toast, but I would wager it's a variant that's been made a few times in the long history of this dish.

That being said - any eggs will do.

Milk

Milk helps to accentuate the softening effect of the eggs because it can more easily penetrate into the bread. Dairy milk is a classic choice but you can also substitute any plant-milk you like, just keep in mind that a sweet plant milk may not play well in a savory breakfast casserole.

Seasoning

Salt and black pepper are enough to bring a distinctly savory vibe to the dish but you can take it in any direction you like as far as seasonings go.

Ideas for other seasoning/flavor palettes:

• Spanish: finely diced onion, smoked paprika and oregano, topped with green olives after baking.
• Italian: dried oregano and basil, topped with fresh tomatoes and black olives, maybe a drizzle of really good olive oil.

Butter

The butter is for greasing the pan so the egg doesn't stick. Substitute regular oil if you prefer. For an extra golden and crusty top, cube a few pieces of butter on top before baking.

Cheese (optional)

Adding cheese to the egg mixture brings a bit more complexity to the savory notes and makes the inside a bit creamier. This recipe is made with grated parmesan but you can substitute other soft or hard cheeses like cheddar, goat cheese, feta, blue cheese etc.

This is optional so you can skip the cheese. Alternatively, double down on cheese and sprinkle a generous amount on top of the French toast bake before or after baking. Or both. Who's going to stop you?

How to make savory French toast bake

This recipe is basically like a savory French toast casserole. This makes it very easy to execute. Everything goes into a baking dish and in the oven.

There are some tips in this section for better technical execution and elegant presentation.

How to get the perfect texture

• Start with dry bread: If the bread isn't dry enough, it won't be able to soak the egg mixture all the way to the center. This will result in French toast that's a bit dry in the middle since the eggy mixture can't make it all the way through. You can also leave the bread out the night before to dry thoroughly.
• Soak at least 30 to 60 minutes: The bread needs to soak in the egg mixture for at least (bare minimum) 30 minutes in order to soften. You can also take advantage of this by prepping ahead of time and leaving it to soak in the fridge (overnight for example). Keep in mind that especially soft bread will get very, very soft if it soaks overnight. This can also be nice - the result will be like a bread soufflé.
• Rotate and poke thick slices: If you're using full slices of bread or very thick cut bread then use a fork to poke holes into the slices while soaking and also rotate them a few times so they have a chance to absorb the liquid from both sides.

Tips for an elegant presentation

Choose a baking dish

Since this is basically a French toast casserole, the dish you bake it in is also the dish you serve it in. The dish you bake it in will also determine how many servings you end up with. So when choosing a baking dish think about the presentation and number of servings you want to end up with.

I wanted to give the table a rustic aesthetic to go with the Balkan flavor palette of the side dishes, so I used a two handled black enameled paella pan which measures 30 cm / 12 inches across. This is enough for 4-6 servings when served with a lot of small side dishes.

Individual French toast baked in ramekins

You can also bake the French toast in small ramekins to make very cute individual servings. The process is the same as with a large skillet just adjust the time. Instead of 30-35 minutes for a large skillet, French toast baked in individual ceramic ramekins may only need 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Arrange the bread

The way you arrange the bread can really impact the presentation. I suggest doing a dry run first without the egg mix (I hope this little eggy pun is as clear for you reading as it is for me writing).

By arranging the bread first you can get an idea of how it will look once baked and make some choices to make it look more rustic or more elegant.

Whole slices of bread tend to look more rustic because the composition in the baking dish is less even and consistent. By cutting the slices into small, even pieces it makes the whole composition look more refined because it's more even.

Garnish and serve with nice accompaniments:

A nice garnish can take a dish from ordinary to wow with very little extra effort. You can garnish this dish with so many different combinations that will elevate both the taste and the look.

Nice garnish ideas include:

• More cheese! Maybe a different kind or a mixture of different cheeses. Feta provides a great salty and briny counterpoint to the creamy, eggy baked bread;
• Fresh cracked black pepper - adds a nice pop of flavor and visual interest;
• A generous sprinkling of finely diced fresh herbs like parsley or chives, very thinly sliced red onion also adds a nice color contrast.
• You could also combine fresh and dry herbs with cheese and other textural elements like nuts or seeds: fresh parsley, dry oregano, sumac, and cumin - crumbled feta, a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Go wild!

Make Ahead

Baked savory French toast is very friendly to being made ahead. Mix up the egg mixture and soak the bread, even overnight. You can do this directly in your chosen baking dish or in an airtight container, and then carefully arrange the pieces in the baking dish when ready to bake.

Serving Suggestion

In Romania this dish is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch alongside other Balkan cold mezze type side dishes, for example:

• Fresh lightly salted tomato and cucumber (or make it a salad);
• Roasted red pepper;
• Green and black olives;
• Assorted pickles;
• Red pepper and eggplant spread (i.e. zacusca in Romanian, ajvar or caponata are also good options);
• Sliced feta, cașcaval or halloumi cheese;
• Yogurt, or garlicky herb yogurt.

For nice contrast you can also add some warm elements that fit the flavor palette, such as:

• Baked smoked sausages like the hasselback kielbasa shown or kabanos;
• Fried or boiled eggs;
• Fried or roasted vegetables like peppers, eggplant (aubergine) and zucchini.

Storing

If you end up with leftovers they can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. You could also transform them yet again into something exciting by giving them the Monte Cristo treatment - dip in batter and fry!

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Recipe